Auckland Car Racing, Kart Racing, Go Karts, New Zealand

Racing go karts were introduced to the world in 1950 in the United States. The first ever go kart was built in California. But today go karts are a very important part of racing all over the world including in New Zealand.

While some may say that go karts aren’t a professional form of racing, the fact of the matter is that there are many racing events where it is nothing but that.

Go karts are made with a motor, transmission, chassis, seat, and four tires. The chassis is stiff and flexible too since there is no suspension. A flexible and stiff chassis lets the kart get a good grip while making sure there is no extra weight of the suspension to carry. The chassis could be open or closed. A closed chassis is safer from the driver’s point of view as it protects them in case the kart rolls over.

Engines for go karts are either two or four stroke. Two stroke engines are much more powerful and can generate as much as 30 hp more than four stroke engines. Karts used for sprinting can touch speeds of as much as 60 mph and the karts which are used for endurance races can touch up to 90 mph. Then there are the shifter carts which use manual transmissions and can touch as much 160 mph. Of course, these karts are only used for upgraded versions in motor racing. They are meant to help drivers gain some much needed experience before going professional.

At the end of the day, the most important thing to realise about go karts is that they are a lot of fun. So, even if you don’t want to become a professional, there’s nothing stopping you from heading down to your local circuit and getting behind the wheel of one of them.